THE co-owner of North Vancouver's Rusty Gull Pub is willing to offer a reward for the safe return of "Rusty," a sculpture turned mascot that was stolen from the pub in late September.
"We're all kind of unhappy," Bob Savage said.
Rusty is a whimsical ceramic sculpture of a weathered, seafaring gull standing at the pub's bar, pint in wing. The 18-inch piece had pride of place on the bar's mantel for 10 years until someone took Rusty on a dash for the exit.
"It only takes the bartender to turn his back for a second," said Savage. "Now somebody's got it sitting at home on their mantel."
Savage said he didn't expect the police could do much for him, but he's willing to pay to see his bird back in the coop, given that a replacement would likely cost considerably more.
"If someone brought it back we'd give them a reward," he said. "I hate to encourage people to steal and then get rewarded for it, but that one's kind of a shame. Stuff gets stolen all the time; we've had trophies, all kinds of stuff. If it's not nailed down or screwed down, it disappears."
If no one does come forward, Savage said he will ask local artist Steve Hall to produce a new Rusty.
"It wouldn't be the original, but it would still be made by Steve.
I told him I would contract him to make another, but I really don't want to do that. The fact is, this thing's been with us forever. It's a neat little piece and he put a lot of work into it. He was quite proud of it and so were we."
"It took me by surprise," said Hall. "I guess having your work stolen is an indirect compliment."
It's not the first time one of Hall's humorous pieces has attracted a light-fingered fan. A bulldog in an armchair was once stolen from a Vancouver gallery, he said.
Ever the artist though, he said a new Rusty would be an older, more weathered bird.
